Start with a clean plate

Gov. Haslam recently suggested that he was in favor of removing the Confederate flag from specialty license plates in Tennessee. Other prominent Republicans have joined his call to remove divisive symbols from Tennessee license plates, including Sen. Bob Corker, among others.

Democrats in the General Assembly have long shared the governor’s concerns. My colleagues Sen. Sara Kyle and Rep. Jason Powell have prepared a bill to update our laws and repeal the provision related to this divisive symbol. Of course, it will take time for this important legislation to wind through the legislative process.

The good news is that the governor’s administration already possesses authority to order a redesign of the plates, right now. The Commission of Safety and Homeland Security under our laws retains authority for design of all specialty plates. Let’s just issue a redesigned plate that omits this divisive symbol.

I appreciate the governor and other Republican leaders for being willing to talk about confronting these divisive symbols. That is an important step. Now let’s strike.